"Danny, are you even listening?" Sam asked.
He looked up from his phone. "Yeah, you said something about eco-friendly earth stuff?"
She narrowed her eyes. "You weren't listening at all. Who are you even texting?"
He bit his lip. He had just got back from Wisconsin yesterday and he hadn't told Sam or Tucker about what happened. So he couldn't tell them that he was texting Honey.
Well he could, this would be the perfect time to. They were outside in the courtyard away from the other students. He should just tell them. They could handle it. They handled the ghost stuff just fine. But...this wasn't just ghost stuff. If it was, he'd tell them in a heartbeat.
Just because the monsters were fine with the New Salem normies didn't mean they'd like outsiders to be around them or know about them. The only reason he was accepted was because they thought he was a full ghost.
He couldn't tell them yet. Not until he was sure the monsters were okay with it.
"I was texting Jazz." he said.
Sam narrowed her eyes. "Since when have you ever texted her?"
Turker snorted. "Sam, who else would he be texting? We're his only friends."
"Whatever," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "As I was saying the consumables…"
He tuned out her out and went back to his phone. Honey had given him the link to the Gory Gazette. It was filled with pictures, articles, and videos of Danny from the other day.
He still couldn't believe that he was so popular and ironically according to the blog his popularity started from the ghosts he captured complaining about him. The complaints floated over to the ghouls at Haunted High and from there it spread like the plague to Monster High.
He nearly dropped his phone when he read a comment about how hot he was. His face burned. All of this popularity was going to take some getting used to.
xxxx
"Move it Fent-turd!" Dash yelled as he pushed Danny hard into the lockers.
He glowered at Dash's retreating form. Dash's howls of laughter grated his ears. It took everything in him to keep his powers at bay. He was fucking sick and tired of Dash. Wasn't it enough that Dash made elementary and middle school hell but he had to make high school a nightmare too?!
He had just a few more hours until the end of school. And then he could hang out with people who didn't want to torment him tomorrow. He slammed his locker shut and made his way to his next class. Just as he was about to go in his ghost sense went off. He cursed under his breath as he ran to the nearest place to transform without being noticed.
Once in ghost form he sped through the hallways and bursted into the gym. A growling blob ghost loomed over the class who were huddled in a corner. He rolled his eyes. These things were so easy to beat. He blasted the ghost in the back with an ecto ball.
It spun around and let out a fierce growl that shook the gym.
He ignored it and pulled open the Fenton thermos. The ghost noticed and tried to get away but it was sucked in before it could escape. "Use your words next time," he chided as he closed the lid.
He turned his attention to students who were looking at him as if he was going to attack them. He huffed. "I'm not going to do anything to you! I literally just saved you!"
"You think we're going to believe you, you ghost?!" someone yelled.
"Yeah! We don't want you here!" another cried.
Soon the others joined in the hackling. Screaming obscenities and threats. Where the hell was all this energy earlier? He fought the temptation to unleash the ghost from the thermos and teleported away.
Just a few more hours of school then he'd be free.
xxxx
Fenton family dinners were usually filled with heated debates between Danny's parents about ghosts, inventions, and everything in between. But tonight there was nothing but silence.
A feeling of unease settled in Danny's stomach. He glanced at Jazz who looked as equally disturbed as he did.
"Mom, dad...is everything alright?" Jazz asked.
"Of course it is. There's nothing wrong." Maddie said with a smile.
Jack stayed silent.
No one said anything else for the rest of the night.
xxxx
It was finally Saturday and Danny had a major problem. He'd forgotten he promised Sam and Tucker that they'd hang out today before he went to Vlad's. What was he supposed to tell them? The Jazz excuse wouldn't fly this time. He could say he was sick but Sam would see through the bullshit.
He groaned into his pillow and grabbed his phone. After a moment of deliberation he decided on what to text them. Hey I got grounded so I can't hang out today…
He hit send and silenced the phone. He already knew they'd be pissed. There was no point in reading the replies.
xxxx
The Maul was filled with strange and honestly terrifying things. There was this smoothie place called Gore-me King that sold blood and innards drinks. And his question about zombies eating brains was answered when he saw the fast food place Brains Express.
Danny would forever be confused on how the monsters stayed out of the news. And that confusion grew even more as he sat in the Coffin Bean listening to Cleo De Nile rant about how she and her sister tried to murder each other.
"She honestly thought she could pierce my heart with an arrow last night!" Cleo cried as she gripped her mug tight. "But…" she took a breath. "I got her back this morning."
Honey leaned forward. "What did you do?"
Cleo smirked."I slipped some poison in her food at breakfast. She dropped dead as soon as she ate it!" she cackled, taking a sip of her tea.
Honey gasped. "Please tell me you took a picture?!"
Cleo tossed her hair. "What do you take me for Honey of course I did." she said as she showed them the morbid photo.
"Wow...she's still drop dead gore-geous." Honey said.
Cleo scoffed. "I know and I despise her for it!"
"Is she...dead forever?" Danny asked.
Cleo rolled her eyes. "If only Ra would allow it but no she woke up an hour later."
Relief flooded through him. He may be hanging out with a murderer but at least the victim was still alive. Wait, they're mummies so aren't they already dead? Is it even murder if you kill a dead person? He mentally shook the thoughts from his mind. There was no point in trying to make sense of crazy.
"Do you have any siblings Danny?" Honey asked.
"Uh, yeah but she's alive."
Honey frowned. "How unfortunate."
"Don't worry Danny," Cleo said with a smile. "The years will fly by and she will be in the Ghost Zone before you know it."
He gave a tight lipped smile in response. To his relief they started to talk about more lighthearted topics. It never crossed his mind that his family would turn into ghosts. But it was true, they'd die and go to the Ghost Zone one day.
His ghost hunter parents would become ghosts.
He snorted. How ironic.
xxxx
Danny scrunched up his face, pushing away the food tray. "I am not eating this."
"Live a little Danny, it's good. Trust me." Honey said as she pushed the food back towards him.
The trio had migrated to the food corpse. Apparently there was a new restaurant. And its food was to die for according to Cleo.
He believed her because he wasn't sure he'd keep his half life if he ate it.
And what was the food that was causing such a commotion? It was jamboolaya with brains. Yes, brains. Danny wasn't sure if it was human or animal and he was afraid to ask.
"Just eat it Phantom! It's not bad," Cleo said between bites of her food.
He grimaced and picked up a forkful. It smelled okay, it looked fine too. He wouldn't have known it was brains unless someone told him. After a few more minutes of inspecting it he stuffed it in his mouth.
"How is it?! Do you like it?!" Honey asked.
He furrowed his brow. He couldn't believe it but—"It actually tastes good," he said, his eyes wide. Though he was 99 percent sure he just became a cannibal.
"I told you it would." Honey said.
"Oh my Ra!" Cleo yelled, looking at her phone in shock.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"There's a sale happening at Gloomingdale's and we're not there!" Cleo cried.
Honey gasped. "Gloomingdale's?! We have to go now!"
And before he knew it he was at Gloomingdale's. He watched as Honey and Cleo fought with monsters for the highly coveted discounted merchandise. Hair was pulled, clothes were ripped and he was pretty sure someone died.
It was all out war.
xxxx
Danny collapsed on his bed in exhaustion. After the Gloomingdale's fiasco Cleo and Honey dragged him to so many other stores and he became their pack mule. He finally understood the meaning of shop till you drop because he felt like death.
A knock sounded at the door. He could hear the muffled voice of Jazz call him. He groaned and dragged himself from the bed.
He opened the door. "Hey Jazz what's up?"
"Don't be mad!" she rushed out. "But Sam and Tucker came over today and asked if you were grounded and I said you weren't. I didn't know you had told them that if I did I would have covered for you."
He sighed. "It's okay Jazz. It's my fuck up."
"Where were you?"
"I was around town. I just didn't feel like hanging out with them today."
"Are you three fighting?"
"No, but after this we might."
Jazz grimaced. "I'm so sorry really—"
"Jazz I told you it's fine. I'll handle it and if I need advice I'll come to you Ms. Future Psychologist."
"If you say so…" she said as she went to her room.
He grabbed his phone from his pocket and checked the messages. And sure enough there were some from Sam and Tucker.
Sam: You seriously lied to us?! If you didn't want to hang out you could've just said so!
Tucker: Dude, not cool.
He sighed. He made his bed, now he had to lie in it.
xxxx
"So why'd you ditch us yesterday?" Sam snapped. Her intense gaze boring holes into Danny's head.
"Yeah dude why?" Tucker asked as he stabbed a fry into ketchup.
Danny chewed the inside of his cheek and ripped up pieces of a napkin. He shifted his gaze to the chipped Nasty Burger table.
What was he supposed to tell them? That he ditched them to hang out with a mummy and a swamp monster? He still didn't know how the monsters really felt about normies so the truth was not an option right now.
He sighed and looked at his irate friends. "I'm sorry I lied. I just had something important to do."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Was it ghost stuff?"
He nodded. That was a really good excuse. He should have told them that instead.
Sam huffed. "Then why lie about it?"
"Yeah, you could've just told us." Tucker agreed.
"I dunno. Wasn't thinking, I guess."
Sam snorted. "Clearly."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "So are we good?"
"Yeah, dude. Just tell us the truth next time." Tucker said.
"Of course. I won't lie again." he said, forcing a grin.
